RTI Institute of India
D-406, Bhim Basti, Jaunapur, Mandi Road, New Delhi - 110047
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Chairman's Message

Manish Kumar Shekhar
Chairman

The Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI) is an Act of the Parliament of India "to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens." The Act applies to all States and Union Territories of India. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen may request information from a "public authority" (a body of Government or "instrumentality of State") which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days.

The Act also requires every public authority to computerize their records for wide dissemination and to pro-actively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally. This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 12 October 2005.Information disclosure in India was hitherto restricted by the Official Secrets Act 1923 and various other special laws, which the new RTI Act now relaxes.

The Act empowers every citizen to:

• Ask any questions from the Government or seek any information.
• Take copies of any governmental documents.
• Inspect any governmental documents.
• Inspect any Governmental works.
• Take samples of materials of any Governmental work.

The formal recognition of a legal right to information in India occurred more than two decades before legislation was finally enacted, when the Supreme Court of India ruled in State of U.P. v. Raj Narain that the right to information is implicit in the right to freedom of speech and expression explicitly guaranteed in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

It is applicable to all constitutional authorities, including the executive, legislature and judiciary; any institution or body established or constituted by an act of Parliament or a state legislature.

It is also defined in the Act that bodies or authorities established or constituted by order or notification of appropriate government including bodies "owned, controlled or substantially financed" by government, or non-Government organizations "substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds" provided by the government are also covered in it.

The RTI Institute of India wishes to strengthen the cause of the Right to Information by launching one year “Diploma / PG Diploma in Right to Information”. We are sure that this course will help the admitted students to acquire an expert knowledge of the methodologies of seeking required information from the Central / State Government as well as public sector / autonomous organisations under the respective governments.

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